There's nothing like democracy (around here)
Published May 25, 2004
When congress passed the Twenty-sixth Amendment in 1971, lowering the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen, 11 million new voters gained access to democracy. But nothing in the new law defined where they should vote. At first, most local election officials assumed that students belonged with their parents. Then, in 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that students can vote where they go to school, if that is where they establish residency.
Over the years, however, the court has refused to clarify what constitutes residency for college students, leaving local election officials to decide for themselves. As a result, the rules vary wildly from zip code to zip code. Some registrars make it as easy as possible, simply asking students what they consider their primary address. Several states, including Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan, ban most added scrutiny as a form of illegal discrimination.
But in recent years, many election officials have been building a variety of hurdles to make it more difficult for students to register and vote.
There's no way to tell how many college students are being turned away by local election boards — but observers say it could be enough to re-elect George Bush this fall. Voters under the age of twenty-four favored the Democrats by at least twenty percentage points in each of the past three presidential elections, and polls this year indicate that they favor John Kerry by as many as ten points. If the race is as close as last time, keeping turnout down among voters at one major college campus in each battleground state could tip the election to the Republicans. [Mock the Vote]
Whadda country.
- There's nothing like democracy (around here)
- Published: May 25, 2004
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: Hal Pawluk
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Well, you can also console yourself with the thought that none of us will have to care if martial law is declared between now and November (see Gen. Franks Doubts Constitution Will Survive WMD Attack).
...or if one of three major companies that make the secret, no-paper trail electronic balloting machines pulls some hanky panky for Herr Bush. (How to Hack An Election)
Sad to say that I don't doubt that these bastards will resort to *anything, no matter how low or despicable.
Either way, I'm beginning to think it's Germany, 1933 -- and we're all Jews.
*ask valerie plame
Hal, you really shouldn't be masturbating to these ridiculous dystopian fantasies in public.
The first case is exactly NOTHING. So the Republicans had a rally and wouldn't let the Democrats in. That's called "freedom of assembly" in the First Amendment. If Mac Diva was hosting a rally for, say, Maxine Waters and didn't want ME there, that'd be totally cool.
That second one is all over the map, and I'm not believing there's anything to it at all. What you're saying there's some Republican conspiracy to keep college kids from voting? Please.
You jump from US county voting registrars being picky about residency issues to HITLER, NAZIS. Seriously, dude.
If you can't figure out how to register to vote, then you're too goddam stupid to have a say in life and death matters of the republic.
And partly, it is exactly concerns about how our civil liberties would fare after a domestic WMD attack that make me anxious to squish the evil Islamofascists NOW- over there if at all possible.
Barger:
Excuse me? Where exactly do I do any of what you claim I do?
Pay attention.
You may like arguing against your straw men, but I prefer sticking to reality.
Wait- I suppose I do need to back up about half a step: It was Shark who specifically invoked the Nazis, not you. My bad.
However, the rest of it is straight you, or the sources you cite approvingly.
Barger:
Right - it's me or someone else.
I don't know why you even bother.
"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth." ---Adolph Hitler
Sen. John Kerry, "who once held a commanding, double-digit advantage" over President Bush among young Americans, "now finds himself in a statistical dead heat with the president among voters aged 18-29," according to the latest IPSOS/NEWSWEEK/GENEXT poll.
"While Kerry currently leads Bush within the margin of error, 45 percent to 42 percent, back in February 56 percent of 18-29 year-olds said they supported the senator versus 42 percent who said they would vote for Bush."
From: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2004/04/26/kerry_losing_support_of_young_voters.html
Kinda defeats your argument that "College students are increasingly saying they're going to vote against Bush", doesn't it? ;-]
When you're a college student, you choose a "permanent address." If that permanent address is 10 states away, so sorry, too bad.
Maybe these nitwits could apply for an absentee ballot? Or is that too much to ask?
Hey, maybe is Bush was less authoritarian, he'd let just anyone attend his rallies. Democrat agitators, gun-toting mentally-deranged people, Islamic terrorists, whomever...
And he'd let just anyone vote, too. Illegal immigrants, dead people, 13 year olds, terrorists from Iran, whomever...
Hey, lots of Europeans come to the US for a few weeks/months. Since their "permanent address" is moot, why not let them vote? I mean, they have a temporary address at the Hilton.
Give these well-travelled Euros a vote, and we'll have Kerry in 2004! Screw people who've lived here their entire lives and actually follow the election rules.
Give 11 million illegal, illiterate, Spanish-speaking Mexicans the vote. Hey, they are within our borders. Why shouldn't they get a vote?
And the terrorists are here too. Why not let Abdul and Mohhammed have a say in our electoral process? Sure, their permanent address is HELL, but they currently reside in Florida, so hand these fuckers a ballot!
Forget it.
Not doing it today,
fighting the urge to respond
Succeeding remarkably well.
Sleep tight RJ
Bernard, unfortunately, RJ Elliot has posted explicit evidence that not only should college students be denied the vote, they should be rounded up and herded into mental institutions or 'reeducation' centers.
(feeling all warm and fuzzy, dancing round a fire and chanting: "Liberty and justice for almost all, take em out, we'll have a ball")
democracy is a beautifull thing isn't it?
Maybe it would be best to allow college students to vote in Seattle and only there. That's a sesspool of freethinkers anyway.
For those not already there, we could build one of those neat traintracks.
Shark: ... RJ Elliot has posted explicit evidence that not only should college students be denied the vote, they should be rounded up and herded into mental institutions or 'reeducation' centers.
The sad thing is that he has been doing that all along. He gives college students are really bad name. =(
As far as the post... why should anyone honestly be suprized?
Yes it's 5 days later but....
Maybe these nitwits could apply for an absentee ballot? Or is that too much to ask?
Doesn't always work. In 2000 my girlfriend wanted to vote in her home state of Florida while going to school in Boston. The state law said that the first time you vote you must show up in person. So that basically stops all college students from Florida that go to school (far away) from voting. I think they may have changed the law by now. But if you think about it, there were enough people at my university alone to make Gore the winner. It's a real issue and I'm glad Hal brought it up.
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(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/15968)
Geeez, that's really scary. And annoying. And disgusting. On the other hand, I won't have to worry about it, since I'm turning 18 a week after the election, >.<.